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Eric Campros

Since the age of 13, Eric Campros fell in love with dance. After his first class, he was immediately enchanted!

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Having been adopted, Eric moved around quite often before being placed with his permanent family at age 10. That very first dance class was the moment he felt he actually belonged somewhere, and that feeling has never left.

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Dance has impacted Eric's life by allowing him to make his entire career, in various forms. He started out as a performer, started teaching, and now has moved into choreographing and producing.

 

Movement in all forms is something Eric has always found fascinating, so he remains curious and studies continuously.  He will always be a student no matter what else he is doing.

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A lesson Eric has learned from taking dance classes and from teaching is: "We have to dance for ourselves, not for approval or outside praise, and never give up. There are some people in this business who are incapable of being generous, so seeking approval is a waste of time and energy."

 

 "I encourage dancers to never be content with someone’s opinion of them; define yourself and know that you are enough."

 Eric studied dance with a scholarship program at STEPS for a year, a dance studio in Broadway, founded in 1979. An internationally recognized community of artists, committed to the cultivation of individuality and talent, to the joy, the work, the focus, and the abandon of dance.

 

With all levels in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, theater dance, hip hop, ethnic, and body conditioning. Eric was required to take 27 classes a week and reviewed every 6 weeks. At that time the directors would decide if he was eligible to stay in the program for another 6 weeks which went on as he completed the full year at the program.

The experience was absolutely awesome, brutal, exhausting, heartbreaking, and intimidating. 

 

Sometimes all on the same day.

 

Eric learned to rely on himself, to take criticism for what it was and not as a personal attack, and to do the work.

 

There is no success without doing the work. Period.

 

The program set Eric up to take rejection well and to hold his head high. He trained at Alvin Ailey after STEPS for a short time and left when I got my first gig.

Being the successful dancer that Eric is, especially teaching contemporary dance classes at Broadway Dance Center now, one of his most memorable dance experiences was when he danced with the Backstreet Boys in front of 70,000 people.

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Eric has been on film sets, danced on live television, and been on the road for 18 months.

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With these experiences, he learned about lighting on film sets, the importance of hitting your mark, and how challenging it is to come back from injury.

 

The most awesome part of this life is the friendships he has made and that have lasted for years, all because dance brought them together. With years of dance experience, one of Eric's favorite performances that has a special place in his heart was every performance during his first tour.

His first tour, A Chorus Line, which paid horribly and where the dancers weren’t treated very well either. All obstacles aside, Eric was grateful to be dancing and getting paid a little and it felt amazing!  A close second best experience of his was performing in Japan in front of 70,000 people. The energy is overwhelming and incredible!

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Having the opportunity to have several teachers that believed in him, these teachers led by example and believed in building up rather than tearing down. When Eric earned a compliment, he was given it.  He tries to do the same and build a sense of pride and confidence in his students. Being a dance teacher now, Eric's favorite part about teaching has become easily seeing the growth and success of his students, both physically and emotionally.  

Having become a mentor himself, Eric mentors some dancers through Broadway Dance Center as well as through some international organizations.  

 

He does not take for granted the responsibility that comes with mentoring.

 

Eric does his best to guide his students

with honesty and integrity. There are dancers who will do exactly as their mentor tells them.

That being said, Eric tries to converse as much as possible to help dancers find their own path and truth. He knows his

way will not necessarily work for everyone. The way Eric teaches his students, he hopes he can inspire them to grow inside and outside of dance. Dance defines much of our lives so he has to remind himself and his dancers that we are more than one thing.

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If Eric could describe what dance means to him in 3 words, they would be: Joy. Abundance. Love.

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Describing what teaching dance means to him in 3 words, they would be: Inspiration. Fulfillment. Trust.

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Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a serious effect on people across the world. Living and working in New York, Eric has been like everyone else, cooped up inside his home, and making the best of it. Staying positive and productive during this time, Eric has be teaching a few online classes, creating a new warm-up, and taking classes from other dancer choreographers around the world.  He is also watching videos of his favorite companies for inspiration, trying out new dance genres being offered online that maybe he wouldn’t have before, along with finding new music to listen to.

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This pandemic has also impacted Eric by losing some really big opportunities but is focusing on the possibility of what will be rather than what is gone. Teaching has impacted Eric's reach in the dance community and share the reach of future dancers by being very fortunate that teaching has given him an international platform.  In the last 5 years, Eric has taught and choreographed in 31 countries, and it is a privilege to witness the artistry of these dancers all over the world. Their voices as artists inspire him to be better, work harder, and to remain curious.

The dance community as a whole has an impact on society and communities. Eric believes that the dance community is socially conscious, often creating art as a protest or commentary.  

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Dancers use their movement as their voice to affect change as well as to entertain, and that is powerful.  Dance in various forms is part of every culture, every country.  It is a universal language that brings out our humanity over anything else.

To further his reach in the dance community, Eric plans to travel to 7 countries this year, (assuming the COVID-19 crisis passes soon) and be able to reach an entirely new audience of dancers around the world. Some upcoming projects of Eric's are on hold for now but there are some things brewing! One of his goals is involving his production company with Tracie Stanfield, Rebellious Creatives. They will be producing shows, festivals, and various dance events starting this summer depending on how the COVID-19 crisis continues to affect the world. His main goal is to see all of these projects succeed so they may give other artists opportunities and a platform as well!
 

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